Science Experiments for Kids with Go Science {A TOS Review}

I think I would be safe in saying that children are naturally curious and love finding out how things work, making them mini scientists. Well, my children are anyhow, what about yours?  We love science and exploring in this house, and I love finding new resources to expand their knowledge. Of course, I was thrilled when we were chosen to review a couple of Go Science DVDs from Library and Eductional Services. And as icing on the cake, these DVDs have a Biblical worldview. As you can see, there is quite the collection of Go Science DVDs, featuring Ben Roy, teacher of science methods at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and former director or News Channel 9 Science Theatre. When looking into which DVDs I would like to review, I asked the children what they would be interested in. As they are getting older, I figured they should start having more of a choice in what we ask to review. Between us, we decided we wanted to watch Volume 1 (which focuses on Sound, Gravity, and Space) and Volume 2 (which focuses on Life Science and Weather).  This worked out nicely as we have been focusing on weather with a couple of our other curriculum as well.

Both DVDs are a little over an hour long and contain quite a few Go Science Learning Time segments. Each episode is between 3 to 6 1/2 minutes long, with the average being about 5 minutes long. Just the right amount of time to hold the attention of the younger children in the age range, while including fun facts and interaction for the older children. These DVDs are recommended for ages 4-12. In each episode Ben Roy and an audience of children of various ages  in the recommended range explore one science experiment.  In most episodes, they are all gathered on a set comprised of the front of a house and the yard where they are sitting on the porch, excited to see the new demonstration. Occasionally, they can be found at another location, either in a gym or outside for VBS.  Usually 3 children, sometimes 1 or 2 more, are chosen to be helpers. He asks each a random question to get to know them better and then invites them up to help him. He introduces what they are going to be exploring and will ask questions of the helpers and the child audience at the beginning and at other times during the show. There are times the helpers will help with the experiment, other times they are handing things out to the audience or just holding things for Mr. Roy. Occasionally the audience group will get to participate in the experiment as well, though usually they are just observers.   As they do the experiment, Mr. Roy will explain what is happening, using appropriate scientific terms along with the definitions at times. Sometimes a portion of the experiment has already been completed so he will be able to show the children what the result will be if it takes more than the few minutes.  After the experiment, he will then turn the conversation toward God, sometimes using a Bible verse, other times how the specific experiment points out some characteristic or work of God. He then ends every segment with the following line, "Every time we learn more about science, we learn more about our Creator, God!" Please, be aware, you're not going to be getting a hugely, in -depth scientific explanation. I think of these more like small scientific object lessons that capture the children's attention and show that God can be seen in everything we do and see, as he is the creator of this world. What episodes will you find on these DVDs? Here, let me show you: Volume 1: Sound, Gravity, Space Sound:

• Piano
• Screaming Pop Can
• Simple Telephone
• Reuben's Tube
• Breaking Glass
• Organ Pipes
• Stick with String
• Water Whistle

Gravity

• Candle See-saw
• Drop Book with Paper

Space

• Sun-Golf Balls
• Solar Bag
• UV Beads
• Bang Barell

Volume 2: Life Science, Weather Life Science:

• Flashlight Animal Eyes
• Animal Skulls
• Bobby Pins 
• What Are You Looking At?
• How Much Do Your Lungs Hold?
• Eating Nails for Breakfast
• Naked Eggs

Weather:

• Fire Tornado
• Ping Pong Cannon
• Liquid Nitrogen Cloud
• Cloud in a Bottle
• Garbage Can Vortex

We mainly used these DVDs as an educational show for them to watch when they wanted some television time. Surprisingly, they wanted to watch the entire hour all in one sitting, though the younger children wandered, which is not surprising. There is a downside to watching these back to back. As I mentioned, at the end of each segment Mr. Roy states the catch phrase, "Every time we learn more about science, we learn more about our Creator, God!" Now, this is a wonderful thing to remind the children of; however, it does tend to get a little old hearing it every 5 minutes or so. I just remind myself that these segments are meant to stand alone and were compliled into a DVD.

I can definitely see pulling these out to watch if we are learning about a subject that can be found in one or more of the episodes. For example, are you going to be learning about the sense of touch, then the episode on Life Science called "Bobbby Pins" will teach your child a little bit about touch receptors and how you can feel pressure more on your hand than going up your arm. This is one of those experiments that can be done at home, by the way.  If you were learning about predators and prey, you could pull out the "Animal Skulls" episode. And if you are learning about cloud formation you could watch "Liquid Nitrogen Cloud" or "Cloud in a Bottle."

As I mentioned, some of these experiments can be done at home; however, one of the reasons I enjoyed this DVD is that the children can watch experiments that we would have no way of replicating here at home, for either safety or lack-of-materials reasons. I mean, could you imagine blasting a barrel off like a rocket in your backyard (wait, don't give my husband any ideas), or watching flames through small holes of a muffler pipe rise and fall with the sound waves of music?

We were able to try out one fun experiment. I just happened to find a nut in the kitchen and we just happened to have balloons in the house for another project, so I surprised the children by sneaking into the living room, waving the blown-up balloon with the nut inside it. I have to say, it really does sound like a swarm of bees. Of course, the children wanted a turn.

I can't wait to try using different objects to see how the sound changes. I probably would have already tried, but the balloon ended up popping and I need the other ones.

Another use for these DVDs would be for group gatherings, such as VBS, a children's church group such as our Venture Club or a homeschool co-op. You could choose which Biblical concept or science lesson you would like to focus on and watch or replicate the experiment (if possible) and perhaps find a related Bible verse. For example, you could focus on simple concepts such as, God has given us all we need to survive in his creation (with "Eating Nails for Breakfast) or God designed animals or humans just the way they need to be able to survive (with "Animal Skulls" or "Naked Egg"). You can get a little deeper and learn that James teaches that words, like fire, can get out of control and destroy (as disussed in Fire Tornado), or focus on the fact that there are frequencies all around, but Jesus wants us to be in tune with him which will give us energy and power (which can be found in "Breaking Glass").

Are these great videos? Yes, most definitely. I do however have a few concerns. There are times that Mr. Roy can be a bit cheesy for an adult. I do wonder if some children on the older end of the age range could also find him so. He interacts wonderfully with the children, but there are just some things he says that I could see an older child getting irritated at and rolling their eyes. For instance, "That is interesting!" and "Isn't that cool?"  There are also a couple of times I have watched and, as a mother, gotten a bit nervous about the thought of having my children in the audience, that close to liquid nitrogen or with only hands to cover their ears against loud sounds while Mr. Roy and the 3 helpers wear ear protectors. I know, I tend to be on the overprotective side.

The children and I have enjoyed watching these videos, and I would love to purchase more in the future.

Here are the other available titles:

Volume 3: Air 1, Air 2
Volume 4: Motion, Friction, Electricity, Light
Volume 5: States of Matter, Water
Volume 6: Chemistry 1, Chemistry 2
Volume 7: Engineering,, Design, Flight

Here, check out one of the segments from Volume 1: Sound, Gravity, Space.

These could be a great supplement to any science curriculum.

I think these are especially beneficial in this day and age of evolution, where they will say creationists and Christians are ignoring or are flat out againt science. These DVDs show children from a young age that Christians are not ignoring science and that all of His creation points to Him. You can purchase these Go Science DVDs from Library and Educational Services. The wonderful news? Library and Educational Services sells their products at discounted prices for certain groups, such as churches, libraries and resellers. Homeschoolers are also able to create an account to receive these discounts. The list price for the Go Science DVDs is $14.95, yet as members the price is only $8.97 per DVD. You can also find Library and Educational Services on Facebook.

Science Experiments with Amazing Science {A TOS Review}

I may have mentioned in the past how much we love hands-on science exploration. This is not limited to just the children and myself. Hubby loves hands-on science experiments as well. Of course, he would rather explore how things go boom (did I mention he is a big Myth Busters fan?), but that isn't something he can do with the children. Last summer the children had "purchased" a Kitchen Science Kit with their earnings from Summer Reading Program at daddy's encouragement. So, I just knew he would love the chance to work on the Amazing Science, Volume 1 DVD from ScienceandMath.com. This was one of our latest review items from the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Amazing Science Volume 1 is a set of 2 discs of science experiments geared for children in grades 1-3 to watch and preferably try out for themselves with parental supervision. For the most part they use easy-to-find materials that you can find in your own home. Out of the 23 experiments there are about 6 or 7 that used materials we didn't have in our home, such as a neodymium magnet and a copper pipe. While these supplies may not be in your house, they really shouldn't be too hard for most people to find. Unfortunately we live in a really rural area and it is quite the distance to get to a decent store. The good news is, there are enough experiments to do that we didn't feel that we were missing out by not being able to do a handful of them.  What exactly will you encounter when you watch these DVDs? As I mentioned, there are 23 different experiments and they range from about 4-16 minutes long. Each segment starts out with a materials list, both in list form on the screen and showing the actual materials used. 

The instructor then gives step-by-step instructions on how to complete the experiment. He explains what is happening very clearly, explaining larger vocabulary in words children will understand and sharing the science behind the reactions. As we watch the video we are able to get really good views of what is going on. The instructor is filmed from the front, but also from the side and from overhead, so you can get in close. 

He makes sure to emphasize that care is to be used, reminding the children to use safety goggles and get parental permission/supervision before trying out the experiments for themselves.

After the experiment is concluded he spends more time explaining exactly what happened and asking questions like a good scientist should, which is a wonderful example for the children.  Some of the different subjects being explored are:

• Air pressure
• Chemical reactions/molecular bonding
• Surface Tension
• Batteries and Electricity
• Magnetic Forces
• States of Matter
• Heat Conduction and 
• Light

We have used the DVD in a couple of different ways. While we were working with our other curriculum, studying states of matter, I made a point of making sure we watched the segment called "Lift an ice Cube with a String." Technically, daddy was the one who watched the DVD with the girls and then we worked on the experiment together. 

The majority of the time we just choose an experiment to watch that looks interesting. If we have the materials on hand we head out to the dining room and try it out then and there. As I mentioned, very simple materials are needed for most of the experiments. For example, we needed water, an empty glass, cardboard and a sink for the "Inverted Cup of Water." Instead of our sink we brought a big bowl and towel to the dining table so everyone could gather around to watch.

After we are done, the children will take a sheet of computer paper and draw what they observed. We have been taping their work to our living room wall. After a while I will take the papers done and turn them into a "Science Experiments" book. 

We have even taken experiments a step further. One of the first experiments daddy tried with the girls was the Color Changing Milk. I had asked him to work on their science with them while I was away one day. The children loved watching the reactions of the soap on the milk and food coloring. They were working on their papers when I returned home. (Confessions time: it was daddy's idea to do the "What We Observed" papers.) They enjoyed it so much they jumped at the chance to do it again. This time however, I wanted to try something extra. The instructor had mentioned that it is the bonding with the fat and protein molecules that brings about the reaction. I decided I wanted to find out what sort of difference there would be with using fat free milk as opposed to whole milk. 

They only thing is, we are now confused, because we got the reaction he got with the whole milk, but, we got it with the fat free milk. We might just have to try this out again to see if we get the same results. I don't think it will break the children's hearts to have to do it again. 

The children and I are loving this DVD set. The experiments are fun and even when we can only watch them, we are learning. I do love that so many of the experiments have been doable, because the hands-on aspect is wonderful! 

There are a few things that I wanted to mention that bothered us. We were fortunate to have a link supplied to us through the Crew so we could have a list of the supplies needed. This list was made by someone who had reviewed the DVDs a couple of years ago. I would love to see the DVD's actually come with a supply list, because it is so much easier to be able to gather the materials prior to watching the DVD. 

Additionally, there were times that the children would lose focus and get bored as he went into the details of the scientific explanations. Yes, Hannah and Amelia are below the recommended age, but Tabitha is at the younger end of the range. I tried to get them to listen, but decided as long as they were listening during the experiment they were getting quite a bit of scientific knowledge. The extended explanations did help me to explain what was going on while we worked on the experiments.

Also, while we appreciated that safety is emphasized, it did seem to be taken too far at times. I can understand using safety goggles when using fire or even while doing the lemon battery experiment as their is a nail involved, but to put on safety goggles to lift an ice cube with a string or watch an unlit match zing through the water with the help of soap? That seemed a little too much to us. It seems that it would be better to emphasize the use of goggles when there really was a potential danger involved, instead of with just any experiment. Obviously, this did not take away from our learning or our enjoyment of the experiments. 

I would recommend this DVD set for hands-on learning fun. The age range of 1st-3rd grade seems to be perfect, though I am thinking even older children would enjoy participating. The younger children loved watching the actual experiment and trying it out. Even Harold got involved at times, though we do try to do the experiments while he is sleeping. 

You can purchase Amazing Science Volume 1 through ScienceandMath.com for $17.95 (the list price is $24.95, so that is quite a deal). It is also available as a download for $14.99. You can check out the trailer on the Amazing Science page.

Check out these reviews from my fellow Crew Mates to see what they think of the Amazing Science DVD. Some of the Crew reviewed math DVD's instead, so you can check out the reviews for Mastering 5th Grade Math-Volume 1-Essential of Fractions and Algebra 1: Volume 1.